Thermoplastic squeeze tubes are used in the packaging of numerous consumer products such as toothpaste, shampoo, foodstuffs, cosmetics, and the like. Such thermoplastic squeeze tubes may be produced from thermoplastic cylindrical tubular bodies on which a neck portion and head portion or formed with a dispensing orifice formed through the neck. After placing a cap on the neck and filling the tube with the desired contents, the other end of the tube is sealed to protect the contents from the atmosphere. In use, the cap is removed from the tube neck and the tube wall squeezed to discharge tube contents through the dispensing orifice. The cap is then replaced after use to protect the tube contents.
In some instances, it would be beneficial to provide a one-way valve in the dispensing orifice of the tube, such as when the tubes are used to display various products, such as cosmetics, in a retail store so that the user need not remove and replace a cap on the tube neck for each incremented dispersement of the tube contents. The use of one-way valves in combination with a squeeze tube has previously been suggested but such previous combinations have not been as useful as is desirable.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a thermoplastic squeeze tube having a one-way dispensing valve which has an integral frangible closure member to protect the valve from inadvertent discharge during shipping and storage.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a thermoplastic squeeze tube having a one-way dispensing valve which has an integral frangible closure member to protect the valve from inadvertent discharge during shipping and storage, in combination with a replacement closure member to protect the valve after the frangible closure member has been removed from the body of the squeeze tube.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a thermoplastic squeeze tube having a one-way dispensing valve which has an integral frangible closure member to protect the valve from inadvertent discharge during shipping and storage, which provides for clean dispensing of the tube contents with a clean cut-off of product and a controlled dispensing of the product.